Is the T getting better? Riders weigh in as feds end years-long oversight of MBTA safety.

The MBTA is marking a major milestone, announcing Friday that the federal government has closed its years-long safety oversight of the transit system.

The Federal Transit Administration stepped in four years ago, spurred by derailments, fires and other issues on the T. In one 2022 incident, a passenger jumped out the window of a burning Orange Line train and into the Mystic River. 

WBZ-TV interviewed riders in Cambridge to see if they think things are running more smoothly now. Many riders we talked to say they've seen improvements.

"It's multitudes better. It's really day and night, they've come a long way," Kevin DeCoste of Hull said. "I just remember sitting one time at JFK/UMass with the doors open for probably a half hour."

DeCoste said he used to avoid taking the T whenever possible, but now, "I take the T every morning and I take it home every afternoon."

"Back then there were so many issues, there were a lot of delays," said Matthew Gammell of Roxbury. "I was always late to work."

"The Orange Line is so much faster right now," Anna Caldana said.

Federal investigators found that the state's transit safety division was underresourced and understaffed.

"The MBTA was really at a low point. It actually was the push that this agency needed to really look in the mirror and say, 'We need to step up,'" said Phil Eng, who became general manager of the T three years ago.

Under Eng's leadership, the T rebuilt its workforce and tackled "slow zones."

"In 2023, 11% of our tracks were in a state of good repair," Eng said. "Today, over 70% of our tracks are in a state of good repair."

Now it's the state's responsibility to keep the T safe. There's still work to be done, with one passenger saying the Green Line is still a bit slow. Eng said signals on that line from the 1940s are set to be replaced soon.